Aardvark Alex Summers
Atlantis
Blue Hawaii
Blue Mammoth
Cameo
Deep Blue Sea
Fantasy Island
Gentle Giant
Ginsu Knife
Guardian Angel
Indigo
Journey's End
Leading Lady
Liberty
Mango Tango
Marilyn Monroe
Millennium
Nate The Great
Orange Marmalade
Pandora's Box
Rainforest Sunrise
Stitch In Time
Sum Of All
Titanic
Touch Of Class
Victory
War Paint
Whirlwind

Sorry about the short notice! I just got this through snail mail today....

Thanks,
Denny

Pieter

So many excellent choices.

Mark

So, I nominate these hosta: Blue Hawaii, Deep Blue Sea, Guardian Angel

Thanks Denny for giving us a chance to do this again.

Connie

So hard to pick only three!

I think a reason Praying Hands beat out Liberty is due to plant patents.

How many patented Hostas are H.O.T.Y.?

I was torn between Deep Blue Sea and Alex Summers :(

Alexis

Thanks-
Julie

I will nopminate
Alex Summers
Deep Blue Sea

I am anxious to see L. 'Paisley Print'

Ronny

Liberty
Rainforest Sunrise
Victory

Thanks for asking

Dale

As for the growth rate on 'Praying Hands'; it would be better to make a conclusion after the plant is out of the "juvenile" stages, as with all tissue cultured plants.
I am not head over heals for 'Praying Hands'; however it does fly off the shelf here and it would be hard to find another that can be grown in full sun and look great in late fall. It further compliments the architecture of all hosta. It has been a good grower here. Furthermore, I would have a hard time believing the companies "rigging" the winner would chose one they are going to have difficulties in propagating from "slow growth"; it makes no sense. The sooner a plant can be brought to "market" the more monies. Why mess w/ a slow one.

It would seem all previous winners are dignified hosta worthy of the award and then some.

You are now in a "situation" as a grower where you could join the association and voice your opinion there.

To note, your words w/ "continuing the Lakesides as Mary would have liked" would not remotely or even closely be thinking of tissue culturing and patenting as you have chosen to do. I might add, almost immediately.

I realize it can be tough getting established. Dividents are aquired by trust, integrity, value, and hard work. It takes years to get that "pat" on the back. I have gathered you are a warm and curtious individual, really trying.
I can relate to "your" frustation in a business environment. Matter of fact, I am easily agitated by what I see and know is wrong in "my" environment. However, as I distance myself from the wrong and greedy, and continue to do what is right, things fall into place.
However, statements must be backed by fact.
From a business perspective, don't trash the "environment" you yourself are a part of; find a way to improve it.

I am not a part of the "Growers Assosiation", nor do I have any voice.

Good Luck

P.S. I have spent three hours at the hosta library today. Looking for more worthy Lakesides to become a part of the gardens here.

It is that simple.It is a democracy and everyone gets a vote.The A.H.G.A spends a lot of time and money researching things like virus x and nems. They also award lifetime memberships to icons in the Hosta world. We are a group of people dedicated to growing Hostas and striving to constantly improve their vigor, Quality and appearance.We love what we do and I will not sit quietly and let someone make uniformed statements such as the one that you have made. You have really cast a shadow on some wonderful and dedicated folks.I hope that you will see the light someday....

Denny

Denny

I see by your web page that you are new here. Welcome.

Of course the HOTY is a marketing tool. And a great one indeed.

Have you been to the AHGA's website? Many of your questions could be answered there. I think you admitted that you are a hosta addict, so you probably know your hostas. Me too. All of the HOTY's are definitely worth having, don't you agree? I don't think they've made a bad choice yet (although I do have reservations about h.Praying Hands).

Is there a problem if a great marketing tool like HOTY sells a lot of great hostas? Huh?

-Babka

Also, I don't personally think a patented plant should be Hosta of the Year (I won't go into my reasons here as it is already a bit of a volatile thread).

Here are my opinions on the plants listed here, and the 3 I would pick.

Aardvark - I'm not familiar with this one, have never seen it for sale nor seen it in a garden. To me it doesn't come close to passing the "10 foot rule", so I probably wouldn't add it to my own collection.
Alex Summers - A fantastic plant and one of my favorites. I think it grows well for just about everyone. Does it really sell for around $15 now?
Atlantis - I would rule this one out as it is a patented plant.
Blue Hawaii - Another great plant, though I'm not sure how well it would grow or perform in the South. Any data there?
Blue Mammoth - Too cheap, too old, too common.
Cameo - Cute, pretty good grower, but some people have trouble with the minis and some might have trouble tending to this one.
Deep Blue Sea - Yet another nice plant that I recommend. Again, I think the price is less than $15 these days.
Fantasy Island - For a small, white centered plant it grows very well, and I love the flowers and scapes on this one as well. Does it grow well all over the country? Maybe.
Gentle Giant - Again, I'm not at all familiar with this one. From the info I've gathered this is probably not anything all that unique from many other plants.
Ginsu Knife - A good grower with good edges, but probably not for everyone. I grow this one really well, but have a hard time selling it for some reason. Should it be in everyone's collection? I'm not really sure...
Guardian Angel - A great plant in the North, but doesn't have the same attraction in the South. Because of this extreme regional variation I would rule this one out immediately.
Indigo - Yet another I'm unfamiliar with. It looks like a nice blue, though I think there are other blue plants with even more to offer.
Journey's End - A great plant, but I would rule it out once again because it is patented.
Leading Lady - A nice older plant. I grew and sold this one years ago but it was a slow seller, even with very mature plants. It is nice, but not particularly a standout until it is very, very mature. Then, it almost looks like Sagae, which is already a HOTY.
Liberty - Yet another patented plant.
Mango Tango - Patented, and has it really proven garden worthy and reliable in all regions? Give this one some more time.
Marilyn Monroe - Now here is a blue plant with some character. Love the foliage, ripples, and flowers.
Millennium - A great growing plant with some nice architecture. Might be too large for some people, too plain for others, but I do recommend this one.
Nate The Great - How did this one get on this list? I've not grown it, doesn't really look like something I would need.
Orange Marmalade - A patented plant, and it doesn't grow that well for everyone, including myself.
Pandora's Box - See my notes on Cameo. Not for everyone, and doesn't always grow well for everyone.
Rainforest Sunrise - Very nice plant that I do recommend highly.
Stitch In Time - Patented. An interesting collectors item, but not the best garden plant. This one is definitely not for everyone, and is way too expensive to be the HOTY.
Sum Of All - Not bad, though I like Winter Snow better as one of the better Sum and Substance sports.
Titanic - Patented plant, and essentially the exact same sport as Sum of All.
Touch Of Class - A fantastic plant, though it is patented.
Victory - A nice big, architectural plant, though I'm not sure it is for everyone.
War Paint - Pretty in the spring but only holds its color in some climates. Here in Michigan I am lucky if the light colored center lasts 2 weeks, let alone a few days after it emerges. Because of this vast regional difference I would not include it.
Whirlwind - This one is already quite common so I would probably rule it out for that reason.

After ruling out many plants on this list I come up with 6 candidates:

Alex Summers
Blue Hawaii
Deep Blue Sea
Fantasy Island
Marilyn Monroe
Rainforest Sunrise

Well, from those my absolute favorites are Alex Summers, Fantasy Island, Marilyn Monroe, and Rainforest Sunrise. Looking back at the previous winners of the HOTY there are too many yellow with a green margin plants, so I would take out Rainforest Sunrise for now, for that reason. That leaves me with these three:

Alex Summers
Fantasy Island
Marilyn Monroe

Will be curious to see the final result!

Chris

Thanks Again,
Denny

Honorable mention goes to ...

Rainforest Sunrise 8
Touch of Class & Deep Blue Sea 7 each
Atlantis 5
Marilyn Monroe & Victory 4 each
Leading Lady, Ginsu Knife,& Orange Marmalade 3 each
Blue Hawaii, Fantasy Island, Mango Tango,& Whirlwind 1 each

Liberty has done it again this year! I will send our vote tonight and keep you posted as I hear more.

Denny

Thank you for letting us take part in your vote again this year. When will the final decision be made?

-Babka

Denny